For your convenience? Yeah, right!

I love it when businesses try to tell me that they have implemented policies to make your life easier and to make doing business more convenient. If you believe that, I have real estate on the moon I will sell you. A few examples follow.

What attendant? Get out and either go in the place before you pump gas, wait in line, pay for the exact amount, and then go out wait for the pump to be turned on and pump your gas.

OR

Slide you card. Is this debit or credit? Want a receipt? Press your zip code. Do you have an Advantage card (Sunoco only)? Waiting for processing. Would you like a car wash? Would you like a pizza? Would you like your life back? Card accepted.”Please pump your gas and remember you can buy inside a liter of Pepsi for 99 cents. Take your receipt. Thank you for shopping with us.”

PAYING FOR ITEMS IN THE GROCERY STORE

Old Way

Cashier punches in price, hits total. Bags the items. You pay and away you go.

New Way

Cashier scans item, scans it again, well scan it again damn it. It isn’t working? You charged me twice for that? Delete item. That’s a cucumber not a squash, thank you. This item does not have a price sticker on it? Wait for manager. Wait while she or he finds the item. Scan another item. Wait that is the wrong price. The sign said $3.50. Wait for manager. “Sorry that was last week’s price. We forgot to take the sale sign down.”

Swipe your card, put in pin or hit cancel for credit, or swipe card again, or no, hit the credit button on that one, no the cancel button, or is it the yellow button? Wait for processing. Oops, line is down, redo. Sign your name. Load up your basket and get the hell out of there.

CALLING A RETAIL STORE

Old Way

Person answers, “Hello, may I help you?”

“Yes, I would like hardware.”

“Hold please!”

Someone answers.

New Way

“Hello (automated voice from England), welcome to XYZ store. If you want directions to the store press 1.” Directions? I have been going there since it opened? “If you want store hours, press 2.” I’ve been going there since you opened? “If you have no patience, press 3 and listen to our 110-decibel version of music blast in your ears, or listen to our deals (that you are not interested in) while you wait, or better yet if you are on the Internet, go to our web site at www.lamebrainwedontwantohelpyou.com.” Press the extension number. It rings, and rings and rings and rings and rings……… or,

“Sorry that selection is not valid, call back another time, goodbye.”

GETTING MONEY FROM THE BANK

Old Way

Go into bank, fill out withdrawal, hand it to teller. “Hello Mr. Rittner, how are you today.” Yes they once knew you by name. She or he then gives your money and you leave.

New Way

Inside

Fill out withdrawal. Can I see an ID with your picture? But I come in here every week? “I can’t be expected to remember you. At least a dozen more people come in and I have to reserve my little brain to remember who I have to text between people like you who expect me to do something.” “Do you have an account with us?” “What is the number?” “Would you like it in big bills or little bills?” “Would you like to talk to our financial representative who can help you save for retirement? Interested in a new way we can take your money and keep it?” Just give me my money damn it.

Or

ATM

Insert card. “English or Espanola?” Punch in your numbers. Oops, do it again. Is this withdrawal, deposit, checking your account balance, or one of several other options?

How much do you want? Punch in amount. Processing. Take cash. Take receipt. Want another transaction? Take your card.

Mr. Palmer must live in a different world than I do. Most of the things he cites as annoyances have NEVER happened to me and I experience many of his “annoyance” citations as actual conveniences (e.g., getting money out of an ATM when the bank is closed). Price scanners work great and they do not make errors like human cashiers might.

Well Mr. Klinger, the world is much relieved that it hasn’t happened to you therefore the world can be assured that for all those that have experienced these issues they are obviously not real nor significant, because you, as the spokesperson for the world, deem it not so. Sorry your visa for spokesperson for the world expired a while ago.

Mr. Rittner I agree with you 100%. I hate getting gas, going to the store, and using the bank for these exact reasons. I also can’t stand how impersonal all of our lives have become. Everything is automated and now people are forgetting how to deal with other people. I lived in Germany for five years and most stores you entered everyone said hello and never chased you around trying to sell you things. When you left they said goodbye even if you didn’t buy a thing. I also remember when I was young and going to the local hardware store with my father they knew his name and we usually spent some time just talking to the owner. Now you go to Lowes or Home depot and forget it I go in grab what I need and run out. Even the local gas station/garage knew whose kids we were and always let us fill up our bike tires with the shop air hose. Convenience comes at a price I suppose.

Sounds to me like a bunch of old men have gotten soft and have forgotten how to do learn to do things for themselves.

I can self-checkout at price chopper and avoid long waits. The only time I have ever had a delay at the checkout was when I was waiting for some old man or old woman to write out a check.

I’ve been using the ATM for almost 30 years for deposits and withdrawals. I’ve never had any of the problems you claim, and standing in long lines at a bank during their very limited hours at locations often near rush hour traffic patterns. Additionally, with Online banking, the options are even greater.

And you’re really suggesting it takes less time for an attendant to fill up our car than to do it yourself? Yes, I can wait for the one attendant to serve a lot of cars or get filled up and be out of there before he even gets around to asking me “Regular or Unleaded.”

In my experience, the more we learn to do things for ourselves and not depend on others to do it for us, the better we, and our society, will be.

Dan, the annoyance that I experience the most and hate more than anyof the others is buying gas. The old way was definetly better and having to go into the station andpay before pumping is extremely annoying. jersey, on the other hand has nothing but full service, your not even given the choice of having it done or doing it yourself. Used to be you could go either way but now, especially when there is a heavy travel day with long lines for gas the options are sorely missed. Some things should not be changed

As someone who used to work in a bank I can say that in a busy branch you can easily see hundreds of faces a day. Those customers that come in a few times per week or even daily you obviously get to know them on a first name basis pretty quickly. If you come in once a week, it might take a while to get to know you. Keep in mind they’re protecting your account by asking for ID.

I totally disagree on the banks though. From what I remember, I used to go into a bank, try to use chained-up, dried-up pens to fill out my withdrawal slip, then move on to the ridiculously long line (unless you happened to miss the early morning, lunch or after work rushes), trying not to be bothered by the little kids pulling on the rope, while the two men who got in line just before me seem to have the most difficult transactions in the history of banking. Then finally, when it looks like it’s going to be my turn, the banker puts up the “Next Window Please” sign, and walks away. 35 minutes later, I finally got my simple under 1 minute $35.00 cash withdrawal completed.

I hate going to the bank, period. However, the old way was slightly more user friendly.

In our village, there is one ATM, and its a true hassle if you happen to need to get some cash out on a weekend at all. Any time of day.

We will get a line of at least 5 cars, 3 bicycles and WALK UPS. So you end up waiting 25 minutes in what should be a “quick line” for a “quick transaction” only to realize that the ATM interface is not so easy to navigate, as you sit and watch the 10 people ahead of you, on foot, on bikes, whatever barely able to choose the correct buttons. (or even reach them from their car windows, which never fails to crack me up, the acrobatics some people pull just to hit ENTER…)

So, I guess I miss the old REAL way of banking. We are thinking of joining a small credit union just to alleviate some of this impersonal line waiting.

Great post! I also agree with you about gas station attendants. I LOVE full service, pay right there in the car.

Well put, Don…. kudos. But you missed the whole cell phone thing. Remember when a phone was just a phone, and it hung on the wall? Yeah, that.

Well, I’m still one of those. Don’t own a cell phone, and have no “need” for one.

I love – no, I don’t – it when people gasp when I tell them I don’t have a cell phone. it’s almost like revealing that you have AIDS. They sqruinch their faces in a display of “How could you possibly NOT own a cell phone?” and then loudly proclaim how “necessary” it is to have one.

Really?

Let me ask you this – if, say, you’re more than 30 years old: What did you do before there were cell phones?

Geez, I may be a bit younger than some of you (early 30’s) but I cannot relate to the majority of what these complaints are about.

For example, how is waiting for someone to come and fill up your gas tank for you better than getting out and doing it yourself immediately? It is MUCH faster, and unless you are cash-dependent there is no reason to go into the store at all. This just sounds like laziness to me.

On a similar note in regard to banking: How is filling out a piece of paper and then waiting in a huge line between the hours of 9-4 to deposit or withdraw money better than the immediate and paperless transaction that can be done at an ATM 24 hours a day?

I’ll even take this a step further: Why does one NEED to go to the ATM to take out cash at all? There are very few places that do not accept debit cards at this point. With cash you have to go out of your way to get it, but with a debit card you can carry it on you at all times without having to replenish.

As far as the impersonalization of banking when you do go into a bank, it really depends on the situation. I worked at a bank for a number of years, and I can tell you that I knew the names of nearly every customer that came in at least somewhat regularly. Any competent teller or banker should be able to do the same. With that said, if you only go into a bank occasionally you should not expect them to know who you are. Like other people have mentioned, bank tellers see HUNDREDS of people every day. It can be extremely difficult to remember customers that do not come in regularly. Also, they are trying to PROTECT you by asking for ID.

Also, tellers do not make a whole heck of a lot of money, therefore you will typically see a high turnover rate. It is not often you will see someone making $10-$12 an hour stay in a job for an extended period of time. So chances are they don’t know you because they are new to the position.

I limit the time I spend shopping (especially on Saturdays) to avoid dimwit contact. This seems to occur after 10-11 a.m.

Ann – I’m with ya, once again. You’re cool!

One store used to require us to sort pet food cans by color/flavor to make it easier for the lazy cashier. My response was that folks in grocery stores didn’t make such moronic requests, so why should they?

When our mailboxes were moved, it was suggested we buddy up (have numerous mailboxes on one post) and save money on wood for “OUR” convenience so several families could retrieve mail in fewer stations. Nah, it wasn’t for the convenience of the mailman who would then make fewer stops. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Gas Station – I prefer to pump my own gas, not to mention I am perfectly capable of washing my own windows (and not leaving streaks), and checking my own oil and other engine fluids (former Guilderland Service Area Station Attendant here – *I* was trained in how to do that while working there). I love Pay-at-the-pump; the only time it gets annoying is when the display says “see cashier for receipt”, which defeats the purpose of PATP.

Grocery Store – I prefer to do self-checkout. When I go to a cashier with more than 2-3 items, they invariably use more bags than is necessary. I don’t need my shampooshower gel bottle in a smaller bag inside the larger bag. Overkill. Not to mention I’ve used Price Chopper’s self-checkout screen and credit card swiper so many times I know exactly what buttons to push and when.

Banking – I do mine both ways, ATM and with a teller. It depends on what I need done. If I am switching $$ from one account to another, I go to a teller. If I need $$ for, say, contra dance admission fees (usually $9-10 for the evening), or to get my hair cut (I pay $20 for cuts – $16 plus tip) I go to the ATM.

FYI – I worked as a teller for Trustco, 2000-2002, and I did get to know a lot of customers, because they came to my branch frequently. But if you skip around to different branches, then yes, expect to show your ID. Even at the branch you go to the most often; keep in mind that they have every right to ask, and every right to turn away your transaction if you refuse. The most annoying thing about working customer service is having to deal with people who have any kind of notion that they have the right to set company policy, or that they can get an employee to bend/break policy at the customer’s whim, without the say-so of a manager.

And also yes, some people are picky about how they want their money broken down, others don’t care.

Retail Store – Depends. I work for a retail steel co. in Menands, and you definitely get a live receptionist when you call (moi, in fact). We do also have an automated system as a back-up; in case I am on the phone with someone (I didn’t start out as receptionist, and have kept all of the administrative tasks I was doing before taking over that position – I have the longest task list of anyone in the company, as well as playing back-up for 4 co-workers) and can’t get to the other ringing line in time, the auto-answer will kick in. Most of the people who call us are regulars, and they know how to navigate the system, punch in the extension they want, and reach the salesperson or dept. they need. Or they can hit 0 and get back to me, and I’ll usually be off the phone by then and can talk to them and find out what they need and who they need to talk to. We also have direct-dial numbers for salespeople, purchasing, and the Credit Manager, so people don’t even have to go through the main switchboard anymore, which eases my call load a bit.

Old way: Turn on TV, watch CBS, ABC, or NBC. New Way: Press Power on TV remote. Press Power on Cable Box remote. Look up station between 1 and 9999. Type in 4 digit code. Do it again because system didn’t read input fast enough. Wait for System to Tune to station. Check to see if High Definition. Reset cable to 1080P, 1080I or 720P. Read message on screen “Channel not Available at this Time”. Call cable operator. Wait 45 minutes for CSR to Talk to Tech. Cable Box Broken, return box to Cable Company. Wait on 30 minute line. Return Box. Set up new Cable box. New Cable Box not working. Repeat. Turn on radio.

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